Manager Song frowned and peered out the window.

That's utter nonsense.

What do you mean, His Highness the Prince of Qishan jumped off the city wall?

The rumors circulating in Beijing lately have become increasingly absurd.

The one shouting was a sycophant on the street, yelling as he ran back and forth on the two nearby streets, as if afraid no one would hear him.

Because of the recent beheadings.

The atmosphere in this market was somber, and there weren't many people strolling around.

In reality, they were all hiding in the corners of the shops, secretly spying.

Sure enough, someone asked those idlers.

"What do you mean by jumping off the city wall?"

Those idlers, seeing someone chime in, raised their voices even louder.

"King Qishan, King Qishan, you don't know?"

Hey, who doesn't know the Prince of Qishan? But hasn't he been keeping a low profile these days to avoid suspicion?

Several monks have died at Ciyun Temple, but he hasn't shown up at all.

The sycophant said, "His Highness Prince Qishan has returned to the capital! Guess what?"

"His Highness was stopped by the guards at the city gate. They were going to arrest him and send him to the imperial prison!"

"Then His Highness asked, what mistake did I make, and why am I being sent to the Imperial Prison?"

"The city gate guards said that Yun Zheng is suspected of colluding with the former rebels of the Zhou dynasty!"

“There were also people at the city gate watching the commotion and making a fuss, saying that the King of Qishan was no good and had tricked everyone into surrendering to the new dynasty a few years ago.”

"In the end, the new dynasty was a complete scoundrel! The Embroidered Robe Envoys, that bunch of mad dogs, would fabricate charges to oppress the common people. Nine out of ten people who died at their hands were innocent."

"If I had known this would happen, I would have kept the gates of the capital tightly shut and fought to the death with that traitor Wei Zhao!"

His Highness's expression changed upon hearing this.

He stood at the city gate and let out a long sigh.

Then he didn't go into the city, but went straight to the city gate tower of Ganjing, facing the vast sky with tears in his eyes.

Such is the will of the people.

His Highness also felt deeply ashamed.

He has wronged the people of Ganjing, and yet he bears the blame for rebellion.

His Highness intends to die for his country!

Those idle chatterboxes talked so animatedly and vividly, as if they had witnessed it themselves.

…

This is a huge matter.

Regardless of whether it's true or not, the topic of King Qishan jumping off the city wall is too captivating.

Before the man could finish speaking, a crowd had already gathered around.

There are questions about whether King Qishan actually jumped or not.

There are also people who specialize in exposing counterfeits.

"Don't listen to this scoundrel's nonsense! The city walls of the capital are not something just anyone can climb, let alone a refined and cultured person like the Prince of Qishan. Does he think those city gate guards are just sitting around doing nothing?"

The messenger was surrounded by the crowd.

Before anyone knew it, Qi Su had also arrived at the window.

He coldly observed the chaos below, his expression somber.

Manager Song, fearing she might overthink things, reached out to close the window.

"Your Highness, do not listen to these people's nonsense."

Qi Su pressed down on her hand.

He said calmly, "Since it's nonsense, there's no harm in listening to it."

She was inexplicably bothered by this.

Although it sounds absurd, in the original book—

In the original book, which she had long forgotten, the monk Daoci was indeed forced to jump off the city wall and die by Qin Shang's treacherous scheme.

She couldn't possibly be indifferent.

.

There was still half an hour before the execution.

Qi Su tapped impatiently on the window frame with her fingers.

Manager Song comforted her.

"His Highness has not sent word of his return to the capital. If he does return, he will surely inform the Princess."

The bustling downtown area in the center of the long street has become chaotic and lively.

No matter how you listen to it or how you look at it, the story of King Qishan jumping off the city wall is far more interesting than the execution of the old monk.

How did you find out about this?

"The moment the King of Qishan stood on the city wall, you rushed out and started spreading the news everywhere?"

The sycophant spat and glanced sideways.

"Of course someone paid me to come and spread this word. Otherwise, why would I be so bored?"

Song Chu shook his head.

“His Highness is not a man who would take his own life so easily. He would never abandon the Princess. I will send someone to the city gate to find out what’s going on.”

Qi Su thought she was right.

That's definitely nonsense.

That man always seemed so confident and calm; how could he possibly jump off the city wall? Besides, he's already married; would he really dare to do that?

She suppressed her unease.

It was almost noon, time to execute the old monk for his enlightenment.

But no one was seen being escorted over.

The onlookers were whispering among themselves.

Are we still going to kill this old monk today?

…

At noon, the executioner announced the order.

The execution of Abbot Liaowu of Ciyun Temple has been cancelled today; further announcements will be made at a later date.

The people that Manager Song sent to gather information have not yet returned.

Qi Su got up and left the restaurant. The carriage was already waiting downstairs, and they headed towards the city gate of Ganjing.

The main south gate of the capital city was closed.

No one may enter or leave, and no one may approach the city gate.

Moreover, a fence was erected several hundred meters away from the city gate, prohibiting people from getting close, and there were also special soldiers guarding it.

The chaotic crowd gathered at the city gate was driven away by the soldiers.

But a tense and uneasy atmosphere permeated the dense crowd.

It was as if they had shared a great secret and were both silenced.

Qi Su grabbed an old man.

"What happened up ahead? Why won't the city gates be open to traffic?"

The old man shook his head, looking terrified.

"The officials forbid me to speak, forbid me to speak."

The young man carrying the bamboo basket behind him couldn't contain himself.

"Someone jumped off the city wall! They said it was a high-ranking official, some kind of prince. The city gates are closed now, and nobody is allowed to leave."

Upon hearing this, not only Qi Su, but even Steward Song's expression changed.

Just as they were about to ask another question, the soldiers in front began to drive them away.

"Disperse—no congestion allowed, disperse immediately!"

The crowd erupted in noise.

Qi Su watched as two groups of soldiers, along with the embroidered-robed envoys' servants, pushed a cart through the city gate.

The white cloth covering the people on the cart was already stained with blood.

Then, the person in the carriage was moved to a horse-drawn carriage.

The coachman cracked his whip, and the carriage sped past the empty space in front of the crowd, disappearing into the distance.

…

"Ah, that's the corpse of the King of Qishan!"

The crowd couldn't help but start talking about it again.

Qishan King Yunzheng jumped off the city wall.

It is said that he is willing to use this sinful body to cleanse himself of all sins.

Before leaving, he looked north from the city tower and asked the emperor for two things.

First, we hope Your Majesty will spare the monks and nuns of Ciyun Temple.

They are all outsiders and have nothing to do with this matter.

Second, petitioning on behalf of the people.

I only wish for a world free from war and chaos, and for the people to live in peace and tranquility.

Qi Su's ears suddenly rang with a buzzing sound.

She grabbed another person and asked, "Did the King of Qishan really jump off the city wall?"

"Isn't that right?"

The person responded immediately.

He leaped from the ten-zhang-high city tower!

It was noon, and a large crowd of people were gathering inside and outside the city gates to go in and out.

His Highness the Prince of Qishan was wearing the white monk's robes he wore before he left the monastic life, and he was also holding a string of black Buddhist prayer beads in his hand.

He still retained the same solemn and aloof demeanor he had when he was a Buddhist disciple.

His voice was clear and resonant, and many people heard what he said before he died.

After jumping down—

Alas, such a highly accomplished monk ultimately turned into a pool of bloody, mangled bones.

The scattered prayer beads were splashed everywhere.

Quite a few people found it.